Israel’s President Picks Eisenkot to Form Government, Passing Over Netanyahu

I have followed Israeli politics for years, and I can tell you this much: a president passing over a sitting prime minister is rare, and it changes everything. On Saturday, 7 November 2026, President Isaac Herzog announced that he will task opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming Israel’s next government, instead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In this article, I will explain what happened, why it matters, what happens next, who gains from it, and what you should watch in the days ahead.

A quick note you can trust: Every number, date and quote in this article comes from reports published on 7 and 8 November 2026 by major news outlets, including Haaretz, The Times of Israel, Al Jazeera, CNA and the Associated Press. I have not guessed any number. Where reports differ on a detail, I say so plainly.

What Herzog decided on Saturday

President Isaac Herzog announced on Saturday evening that he would give Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the Yashar party, the first chance to form a government after the general election on 27 October 2026. Eisenkot will formally receive the mandate at a ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on Sunday, 8 November, at 5 p.m. local time. From that moment, he will have 28 days to put together a coalition government, and the president can grant him an extension of up to 14 days if he needs more time.

The decision follows a week of consultations. Herzog met with delegations from all of the parties in the new Knesset on Wednesday and Thursday, and he held further talks over the weekend with figures across the political spectrum, including both Eisenkot and Netanyahu. He told both men of his decision on Saturday evening before he announced it in public.

This is a major moment for Israel. Netanyahu is the country’s longest-serving prime minister, and he has led the government for most of the past two decades. Herzog’s choice does not remove him from office by itself. But it gives his main rival the first shot at building the next government, and that is a clear sign that the president believes the votes are there for change.

The numbers behind the decision

Herzog’s choice was driven by simple arithmetic. During the consultations, 67 lawmakers endorsed Eisenkot as the candidate to form the next government. Only 46 endorsed Netanyahu. The seven lawmakers of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party made no recommendation at all. That gave Eisenkot a clear majority of recommendations in the 120-member parliament, even though neither side won a majority of seats in the election itself.

The election on 27 October left Israel deeply divided. Netanyahu’s Likud party won 27 seats, making it the largest single party. His wider bloc of right-wing and religious parties won 53 seats. Eisenkot’s change bloc, an alliance of four parties that want to replace Netanyahu, won 48 seats. Neither side reached the 61 seats needed for a governing majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

The balance was held by two Arab-led parties, the Joint List and Ra’am, which together won 19 seats. Both of them recommended Eisenkot during the president’s consultations, and their support is what pushed him to 67 endorsements. That is why Herzog gave him the mandate first. But, as I will explain below, those endorsements do not automatically turn into a governing coalition.

Who is Gadi Eisenkot?

Gadi Eisenkot is a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, and he now leads the centrist Yashar party, which he founded on a platform of fighting corruption and reforming the government. He entered politics as a critic of Netanyahu, and he has argued for years that Israel needs cleaner and more honest leadership.

After Herzog announced his decision, Eisenkot said on X that now is the time to form a national emergency government, and he added that he will do everything to make us worthy. His message was short, but it told us a lot about how he plans to present himself. He does not want to be seen as the leader of one narrow camp. He wants to be seen as the leader of a broad government that can bring the country together after three years of war and deep political division.

Eisenkot has also drawn a clear line that will shape the talks ahead. He has said again and again that he will not partner with Netanyahu in any coalition, and that anybody who held a major position of power when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023 must leave public life. That position rules out a partnership with the sitting prime minister, and it means the new government, if it is formed, will be built without him.

Why the path ahead is still hard

Let me be honest with you. Winning the mandate is not the same as winning a government. Eisenkot’s change bloc holds only 48 seats, so he needs at least 13 more seats to reach the 61-seat majority. The 67 endorsements he received do not turn into a 67-seat coalition, because some of the parties that endorsed him may not be willing to sit in the same government.

The biggest problem is the Arab-led parties. Their 19 seats are essential to the arithmetic, but Eisenkot has ruled out forming a government with them as full partners. That leaves him searching for support from other directions, including ultra-Orthodox parties and even lawmakers from Netanyahu’s own Likud. The Times of Israel reports that his team is trying to line up potential partners from all of these groups, but none of them has agreed yet.

There are also deep policy disagreements to settle. The parties that want to replace Netanyahu disagree with each other on the conscription of ultra-Orthodox men into the army, and on the role of Arab parties in government. These are not small details. They are the issues that have broken Israeli coalitions before, and they will be at the centre of the talks over the next four weeks.

None of this means Eisenkot will fail. He has 28 days, plus a possible 14-day extension, and he starts with the backing of a majority of lawmakers. But it does mean the next month will be a hard negotiation, not a victory lap. If he cannot build a coalition, the mandate can pass to another candidate, most likely Netanyahu. And if no one can form a government, Israel will face another general election within 90 days, with Netanyahu staying on as caretaker prime minister.

What Netanyahu said in response

Netanyahu did not accept the outcome quietly. Just before Herzog announced his decision, the prime minister released a video statement calling on the parties in the Eisenkot-led change bloc to form what he called a national unity government. But his version of unity came with a condition. He said it would have to include all of his allies from the last coalition, including the ultranationalist Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties and the ultra-Orthodox parties.

That condition makes his offer very hard to accept. The change bloc exists to replace Netanyahu and his allies, not to govern with them. Reports from Israel describe his proposal as a likely non-starter, and Eisenkot’s repeated refusal to serve with Netanyahu makes it even less likely. The video was, in effect, a message to his own supporters that he is still fighting, and a warning to the change bloc that he will not step aside without a struggle.

For more background on how Israel reached this point, read our earlier coverage of the aftermath of the 27 October election and Herzog’s consultations with the parties. The wider region is also in flux, as our report on Trump’s coming decision on Iran after the US midterms explains, and our report on the death toll in Lebanon as Israeli strikes continue shows how much pressure the region is still under.

What happens next

The first step is the ceremony on Sunday, 8 November, at 5 p.m., when Herzog formally hands Eisenkot the mandate. After that, the real work begins. Eisenkot’s team will open talks with every party that might join a coalition, and the next few days will show whether the 67 endorsements can become a working majority of 61 seats.

There are three dates to watch. The first is the end of the 28-day period in early December. If Eisenkot has a coalition by then, he will present it to the Knesset and become prime minister. The second is the possible 14-day extension, which would take the talks into the middle of December. The third is what happens if he fails. In that case, the mandate is likely to pass to Netanyahu for his own attempt, and if that also fails, Israel will head back to the polls within 90 days.

I will keep watching this story closely, because it decides the future of the most powerful job in Israel. A new government under Eisenkot would mark the end of the Netanyahu era and the start of a very different kind of politics. A failure would keep Netanyahu in office as caretaker and send Israelis back to vote again. Either way, the next four weeks will shape the country for years to come.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Gadi Eisenkot?

Gadi Eisenkot is a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and the leader of the centrist Yashar party, which he founded on a platform of fighting corruption and reforming the government. He is the main political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Why did President Herzog choose Eisenkot over Netanyahu?

During consultations with all parties, 67 lawmakers endorsed Eisenkot to form the next government, while only 46 endorsed Netanyahu. The seven lawmakers of United Torah Judaism made no recommendation. Herzog gave the mandate to the candidate with the most support.

How many seats does a government need in the Knesset?

A government needs at least 61 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Neither Netanyahu’s bloc, with 53 seats, nor Eisenkot’s change bloc, with 48 seats, won a majority in the election on 27 October 2026.

How long does Eisenkot have to form a government?

He has 28 days from receiving the formal mandate on Sunday, 8 November 2026. President Herzog can grant an extension of up to 14 days if Eisenkot needs more time to finish the talks.

What happens if Eisenkot cannot form a coalition?

The mandate can then pass to another candidate, most likely Netanyahu, for his own attempt. If no one can form a government, the Knesset is dissolved and a new general election must be held within 90 days, with Netanyahu staying on as caretaker prime minister.

Why is it hard for Eisenkot to reach 61 seats?

His change bloc holds only 48 seats, so he needs at least 13 more. The two Arab-led parties hold 19 seats and endorsed him, but he has ruled out governing with them as full partners. He must therefore win support from ultra-Orthodox parties or even from Likud lawmakers, while also settling disagreements over conscription and other issues.

What did Netanyahu propose in response?

Netanyahu called for a national unity government, but he said it would have to include all of his allies from the last coalition, including Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit and the ultra-Orthodox parties. That condition makes the offer very hard for the change bloc to accept.

Final thoughts

Israel is at a turning point. The president has given Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government, and the numbers say he has the support to try. But the numbers also say the job is far from done. He must turn 67 endorsements into 61 seats in a real coalition, and he must do it in 28 days, with parties that disagree with each other on some of the hardest questions in Israeli politics. I will be watching the talks day by day, and I will update you as soon as the picture becomes clear. For now, one thing is certain: the Netanyahu era is being tested as never before, and the answer will come from the coalition talks that begin on Sunday.